By Don Murphy, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@DonThePredictor)
WWE presents Night of Champions on Saturday tin Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at Kingdom Arena. Despite discussions earlier in the week around whether the talent would be able to fly into the country, any issues were resolved and the show is set to go. And I have to say, whether you agree with the decision to run in Saudi Arabia or not, this looks like strong lineup on paper that will impact storyline in the weeks and months to come. At the very least, we’ll have two SummerSlam matches set based on the winners of the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments. So, with that said, let’s run down the card!
John Cena vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship. Cena cut a memorable promo on last week’s Smackdown. Some people are lauding it as one of the best promos of all time. I’ll just say it was memorable. If the plan is to have Punk lose and immediately turn heel, the promo was OK. But if they’re planning to keep Punk babyface for several more months, I don’t know how he comes back should he take a loss. Despite being the heel, Cena was pretty much right about everything he said and the fans reacted in kind. As of this writing, I haven’t seen Smackdown yet so there’s always the chance that Punk cuts a strong go-home promo to lessen the damage but I really think the company damaged one of their top babyfaces in an effort to create a memorable moment.
Don Predicts: John Cena retains the WWE Championship.
Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes in the King of the Ring tournament final. I’m surprised by this because I thought they’d save this match for when Orton turned heel, but I guess this match will be part of that story. I don’t see them going back to Orton vs. Cena at SummerSlam so Cody would be the logical choice here. Cody vs. Cena II also doesn’t do much for me, but after their match at Mania, the only direction they can go is up. I assume that Orton will eventually refer back to this match when he finally drops Rhodes with an RKO.
Don Predicts: Cody Rhodes wins the King of the Ring tournament.
Asuka vs. Jade Cargill in the Queen of the Ring tournament final. This match intrigues me. It’s clear that the company is taking the training wheels off with Cargill and putting her in longer matches. She’s still a work in progress but her match with Naomi at WrestleMania was decent. This will be Asuka’s first longer-form singles match since returning from injury but she should still be a great test to see if Cargill can perform in high-profile matches. I suspect Cargill goes on to feud with Bianca Belair from here while Asuka goes after Iyo Sky’s title.
Don Predicts: Asuka wins the Queen of the Ring tournament.
Jacob Fatu vs. Solo Sikoa for the U.S. Championship. Fatu has the potential to be WWE’s next main event star, so I am hoping this is a “one and done” though I think this is only the beginning. I expect Fatu to retain based on some kind of DQ finish or something similar with outside interference from JC Mateo to set up that match down the road.
Don Predicts: Jacob Fatu retains the U.S. Championship.
Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez in a Street Fight. It’s good to see Ripley get a match on the PLE even though she’s kind of spinning her wheels outside of the title picture. She would be my top pick to move brands in the draft in order to challenge for the WWE Women’s Championship and have some fresh matches over on Smackdown.
Don Predicts: Rhea Ripley defeats Raquel Rodriguez in a Street Fight.
Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross. Persistence pays off as it appears that Kross’ outspokenness online has created a fan movement that earned him a slot on the show. I don’t see him winning here but I am interested to see if he continues to get higher profile roles and matches.
Don Predicts: Sami Zayn defeats Karrion Kross.
Check out our WWE Night of Champions live review on Saturday at noonCT/1ET.
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